▪ I. flesh, n.
(flɛʃ)
Forms: 1 flǽsc, flǽc, (2 flec, flesce), 3 flæsce, flæs(h, flexs(s, fless(e, 4 south. vlesse, 3–4 fles, flei(e)s, fle(y)hs, 4–5 fleisch, 3–5 fle(c)che, flesch(e, 3 south. vlesche, (3 flashe, fleschs, 4 fleschsch), 3–6 flessh(e, (4 fleisshe), 4–6 fleshe, (6 fleash, flehsse, fleszhe, 9 dial. flash), 4– flesh.
[Com. WGer. and Scandinavian: OE. flǽsc str. neut. corresponds to OFris. flâsk, OS. flêsk (Du. vleesch), OHG. fleisc (MHG. vleisch, mod.Ger. fleisch), of the same meaning, ON. flesk with shortened vowel (Sw. fläsk, Da. flesk), swine's flesh, pork, bacon:—OTeut. *flaiskoz-, -iz- (or possibly þl-).
No satisfactory cognates have been discovered either in Teut. or in the related langs. Some have supposed that the specific Scandinavian sense, which exists in some Eng. dialects where ON. influence is out of the question (see, e.g., the West Cornwall Glossary), is the original meaning of the word, and that the occasional OE. form flǽc represents the primary word elsewhere replaced by a derivative with suffix -sk-. On this hypothesis the word might be related to OE. flicce, flitch. But general analogy rather indicates the priority of the wider sense found in Eng. and German; and it is most likely that the OE. flǽc is an inaccurate spelling, or at most a dialectal phonetic alteration, of the ordinary flǽsc. The shortening of the OE. long vowel before s followed by another cons. is normal.]
I. As a material substance.
1. a. The soft substance, esp. the muscular parts, of an animal body; that which covers the framework of bones and is enclosed by the skin. raw flesh: that exposed by removal or fissure of the skin.
| c 1000 ælfric Gen. ii. 23 Ðis ys nu ban of minum banum & flæsc of minum flæsce. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2089 Fugeles sulen ði fleis to-teren. 1398 Trevisa Barth. de P.R. v. i. (1495) 100 The heed hath lytill flessh and lytyll fatnesse. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 218 If he be strong & ful of fleisch. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. iii. i. 54, I am sure if he forfaite, thou wilt not take his flesh. 1611 Bible Lev. xiii. 10 If..there be quicke raw flesh. a 1688 Bunyan Heavenly Footman (1886) 164 His..sins, that stick as close to him as the flesh sticks to the bones. 1750 Lady Luxborough Lett. to Shenstone 13 May, One [wound] just above my knee..New flesh must grow there. 1819 Shelley Cenci iii. i. 22 It..eats into my sinews, and dissolves My flesh to a pollution. |
b. Often in connexion with or contrast to
bone,
fell, or
skin.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke xxiv. 39 Gast næfþ flæsc & ban. c 1220 Bestiary 136 His fel he ðer leteð; his fles forð crepeð. a 1300 Cursor M. 17288 + 449 (Cott.) Spirit has nauther flesch ne bone. 1382 Wyclif Lev. ix. 11 The flesh forsothe, and the skynne of it [calf]..he brent. a 1400 Prymer (1891) 79 With skyn and fleschsches thou clothedest me. a 1577 Gascoigne Wks. (1587) 36 To search between the fel and the flesh for fardings. 1611 Bible Ezek. xxxvii. 8 The sinews and the flesh came vp vpon them [bones], and the skin couered them aboue. |
c. flesh and fell: the whole substance of the body; hence as
quasi-advb. phrase: entirely.
(to raise or rise) in flesh and fell, rarely
in flesh and bone: in bodily form.
Cf. Fr. en chair et en os.
(fair) of flesh and fell: in form and complexion.
Obs. exc. arch.| c 1000 ælfric Exod. xxix. 14 Þæs cealfes flæsc and fell..þu bærnst. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 287 He was..vayr of fless & felle. a 1300 Cursor M. 26564 (Cott.) To rise in flexss and ban. c 1375 Lay Folks Mass Bk. (MS. B.) 223 Vp he rose in flesshe & felle þo thryd day. a 1440 Sir Eglam. 29 Crystyabelle, A feyre thynge of flesche and felle. 1605 Shakes. Lear v. iii. 24 The good yeares shall deuoure them, flesh and fell. 1840 Browning Sordello ii. 300 Men burned Taurello's entire household, flesh and fell. |
d. proud flesh: the overgrowth of the granulations which spring upon a wound. Also
fig.| 1578 Lyte Dodoens vi. lxviii. 746 The same [oakgalls] doth..consume away superfluous and prowde fleshe. 1649 Lovelace Poems 28 The anger of her eye, Had wrought some proud-flesh by it. 1686 W. Harris tr. Lemery's Course Chym. (ed. 2) 171 This Sublimate..eats proud flesh and cleanses old Ulcers. 1848 Carpenter Anim. Phys. 302 The sprouting forth of a rapidly-growing tissue commonly known as proud-flesh. |
e. phr. to make one's flesh creep, etc. Also with
crawl (
cf. crawl v.
1 6).
| 1727, 1840 [see creep v. 6]. 1725 Ramsay Gent. Sheph. i. i, A..dream..That gars my flesh a' creep yet with the fright. 1834 Medwin Angler in Wales II. 252 A cold—a creeping of the flesh—like that. 1876 ‘Mark Twain’ Tom Sawyer 61 It makes my flesh crawl to hear you. |
f. In, or with reference to, the Biblical phrase ‘a heart of flesh’,
i.e. a heart capable of feeling, opposed to ‘a heart of stone’.
| 1382 Wyclif Ezek. xxxvi. 26, I shal take awey a stonen herte..and I shal ȝeue to ȝou an herte of fleshe. 1784 Cowper Task ii. 8 There is no flesh in man's obdurate heart. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles vi. xxix, Are your hearts of flesh or stone? |
g. In euphemistic phrases with reference to sexual intercourse.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 28475 (Cott.) Wit womman knaun and vnkend, I haue my fles wit þam blend. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iv. 285 She wold not exchange flesh with one that lou'd her. 1620 Ballad ‘As I was ridinge’ 18 in Furniv. Percy Folio (1867) App. 29. |
h. to go after or follow strange flesh: a Biblical expression referring to unnatural crime.
| 1382 Wyclif Jude 7 Sodom and Gomor..goyng aftir other flesch. 1526 Tindale ibid., Folowed straunge flesshe [similarly in the later versions]. |
2. transf. The soft pulpy substance of fruit, or a plant; that part which is enclosed by the rind, and encloses the core or kernel,
esp. when eatable. So
Gr. σάρξ, L.
caro,
Fr. chair.
| 1573 Baret Alv. F 649 Fleash, the substance vnder the pille or rinde of herbs, &c. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. ii. (1586) 110 b, Reedes for the most parte have no fleshe at all. 1672 J. Josselyn New Eng. Rarities 57 The seeds are black, the flesh or pulpe exceeding juicy. 1779 Mrs. Boscawen in Mrs. Delany's Life & Corr. Ser. ii. II. 489 The seeds are found in several parts of the flesh. 1846 Proc. Berw. Nat. Club ii. No. 14. 174 (Agaric) Flesh thick, solid and firm. 1895 Seed Catal. (Potato) Flesh white, fine and floury. |
3. Put for: Quantity or excess of flesh; hence, plumpness, good condition, embonpoint,
esp. in phrases,
to get, († get oneself in), lose flesh; also
(to be) in flesh: in good condition, corpulent.
Cf. Fr. être en chair.
| 1548 Hall Chron., Edw. IV, 234 A beautefull Prince, beginninge a littel to growe in flesh. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. v. i. 84 Buy food, and get thy selfe in flesh. 1608 Bp. Hall Char. Virtues & V. 103 Hee is a slave to envie, and loseth flesh with fretting. 1677 Holyoke Lat. Dict., To get flesh, pinguesco. 1684 R. H. School Recreat. 26 If he be low of Flesh..add a third part of clean old Beans. 1707 Lond. Gaz. No. 4350/4 A bay Gelding, well in Flesh. 1757 Franklin Lett. Wks. 1887 II. 527, I..have not yet quite recovered my strength, flesh, or spirits. 1762 Goldsm. Cit. W. lxxi, The widow, being a little in flesh, as warmly protested against walking. 1774 J. Bryant Mythol. II. 452 Oxen that were in flesh and well fed. 1885 E. Garrett At Any Cost ii. 27 Its [a face's] once noble outlines were blurred by too much flesh. |
4. a. The muscular tissue, or the tissues generally, of animals, regarded as an article of food. Exc. when otherwise defined by the context, always understood as excluding
fish (see
fish n.1), and in recent use primarily suggesting ‘butchers' meat’, not poultry, etc. (
cf. ‘fish, flesh, and fowl’). Somewhat
arch., the current word being
meat (it survives however in some northern dialects).
| a 800 Corpus Gloss. 2135 Viscera tosta, ᵹebreded flaesc. a 1154 O.E. Chron. an. 1137 Þa wæs corn dære & flec. c 1205 Lay. 19693 Neoþer flæs na no fisc no nanes cunnes drænc. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 12/374 To rosti ase men doth fersch flesch. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 266 Sche schal drinke no wijn ne ete no fleisch. 1472 Presentments Juries in Surtees Misc. (1890) 23 We desyer a remedy of our buschers for sellynge of thar flech. 1562–3 Act 5 Eliz. c. 5 §11 No maner of person shall eate any Fleshe on the same [Fishe] daye. 1599 Nashe Lenten Stuffe Wks. (Grosart) II. 273 The puffin that is halfe fish, halfe flesh. 1676 Wood Life (Oxf. Hist. Soc.) II. 341 Not eat a bit of flesh from Shrove Tuesday till Easter Day. 1732 Pope Hor. Sat. ii. ii. 70 The stomach (..a tomb of boil'd and roast, and flesh and fish). 1772 Johnson Lett. to Mrs. Thrale 19 Oct., Flesh is likewise very dear. 1802 Fosbrooke Brit. Monachism (1843) 70 Neither do they eat of fat or flesh. |
b. With the name of the animal or other defining word attached; also
† in
pl. to signify what is derived from various animals.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter xlix. [l.] 13 Ah ic eotu flesc ferra. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1013 Bred, kalues fleis, and flures bred. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 175 Þe comon of þe oste bouht þam hors flesch, Or mules or assis roste. 1486 Bk. St. Albans C j b, Thees sayd fleshes bene goode to mewe an hawke. 1528 Paynel Salerne Regim. E ij b, Goottis fleshe..oxe fleshe.. be melancolye fleshes. 1685 P. Henry Diaries & Lett. (1882) 341, I am careful w{supt} I eat, not Fishes & Fleshes. 1865 Baring Gould Were-wolves xv. 264 When a wolf has once tasted human flesh, he desires to taste it again. |
† c. phr. neither flesh nor fish: neither one thing nor the other.
Cf. fish n. 4 c.
Obs.| 1528 Roy Rede me (Arb.) 117 Wone that is nether flesshe nor fisshe, At all tymes a commen lyer. 1661 Baxter Mor. Prognost. i. xciii. 22 Men of no Zeal, neither Flesh nor Fish. |
d. strange flesh: unusual or loathsome food.
rare.
Perh. an echo of the Biblical use
Jude 7, though the meaning is different (see 1 h).
| 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. i. iv. 67 On the Alpes, It is reported thou did'st eate strange flesh. 1819 Shelley Cenci iii. i. 48 Beatrice..whom her father..pens up naked in damp cells..and starves her there, Till she will eat strange flesh. |
† e. collect. Cattle intended for food.
Obs.| 16.. Robin Hood & Butcher 16 in Furniv. Percy Folio I. 20 A proud butcher Came driving flesh by the way. 1709 Strype Ann. Ref. I. xvi. 199 That no butcher should kill flesh, upon pain of a great fine. |
† f. (See
quot.)
Obs.| 1569 in J. Mackenzie Gen. Grievances Orkney & Shetland 17 Item, the Comptare charges him with the third of the flesh of the Bishoprick of Orknay. 1859 Oppress. 16th C. in Orkney & Zetland Gloss., Flesh, Rent paid in Cattle, generally estimated by Weight, 15 Meils = an ox, 10 Meils = a cow, 4 Meils = a sheep. |
5. a. The visible surface of the body, with reference to its colour or appearance.
Cf. flesh-colour.
| 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. i. ii. 17 Sooth. You shall be yet farre fairer then you are. Char. He meanes in flesh. 1657 Lust's Dominion i. ii. 9 Although my flesh be tawny, in my veines, Runs blood as red, as royal, as the best..in Spain. |
b. ellipt. for
flesh-colour.
| 1852 Meanderings of Mem. I. 157 Air coloured, scarcely carnate, or a flesh. 1882 Garden 14 Oct. 341/1 The names of the best varieties..are.. Perfection, flesh. |
6. Short for
flesh-side (of a skin); see 13.
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 378 It [the leather] is then..slicked upon the flesh with a broad smooth lump of glass. 1851 Mayhew Lond. Labour I. 443 The skin is ‘split’..into two portions. That known as the ‘grain’..The other portion, the ‘flesh’. 1870 Eng. Mech. 11 Feb. 534/2 Oil them [skins], flesh and grain. |
II. Extended and figurative uses (chiefly of Biblical origin).
7. one's (own) flesh: one's near kindred or descendants. Now
rare exc. in
flesh and blood. Also,
one flesh: said (after
Gen. ii. 24,
1 Cor. vi. 16) of husband and wife to express the closeness of the relation created by marriage.
| c 1000 ælfric Gen. xxxvii. 27 He ys ure broþor & ure flæsc. c 1300 Harrow. Hell 196 Mi leve moder wes Boren and shaped of thi fleyhs. 1382 Wyclif Isa. lviii. 7 Thi flesh thou shalt not despise. 1553 T. Wilson Rhet. (1580) 71 Your grace, lackyng twoo suche portions of your owne fleshe [your two sons]. 1555 Eden Decades Pref. to Rdr. (Arb.) 50 Owre brootherne, owre flesshe, & owre bones. 1694 Congreve Double Dealer ii. i, Marriage makes man and wife one flesh. 1819 Shelley Cenci i. iii. 104 What, if we..were his own flesh, His children and his wife? |
8. That which has corporeal life.
all flesh,
† each flesh (
omnis caro,
Vulg. = Hebraistic
Gr. πᾶσα σάρξ): all animals; in narrower sense, all mankind. So
† no flesh: nobody on earth.
† a piece of flesh: a human being, sample of humanity.
| c 1000 Ags. Ps. cxxxv[i]. 26 He eac afedeð flæcsea æᵹhwylc. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Luke iii. 6 ælc flæsc ᵹesihð godes hæle. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 591 Ðo was ilc fleis on wer[l]de slaȝen. a 1300 E.E. Psalter cxliv. 21 Blisse sal alle flesche withal Unto hali name es hisse. c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. II. 400 But ȝif þes daies shulen be abreggid þer shulde not be saved ech fleish. c 1450 tr. De Imitatione iii. lxii, Þou art flesshe and non aungell. 1535 Coverdale Jer. xvii. 5 Cursed be the man..that taketh flesh for his arme. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado iv. ii. 85 As pretty a peece of flesh as any in Messina. 1611 Bible Dan. ii. 11 The gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. 1630 Prynne Anti-Armin. 124 What flesh, what person could be saued? a 1632 T. Taylor God's Judgem. i. ii. xli. (1642) 367 Julius Cesar, one of the most..valiant pieces of flesh that ever was. 1662–3 Pepys Diary 17 Feb., He had a great secret to tell me, such as no flesh knew but himself. 1774 J. Bryant Mythol. II. 195 All flesh died. 1847 Emerson Repr. Men, Plato Wks. (Bohn) I. 297 He..visits worlds which flesh cannot enter. |
9. a. The physical or material frame of man; the body.
Obs. exc. in Biblical allusions.
† to be free of one's flesh: to expose oneself boldly in battle.
In the 16th c. versions of the Apostles' Creed the earlier expression ‘the resurrection of the
flesh’ (
= resurrectio carnis) was changed to ‘the resurrection of the
body’.
| Beowulf 4840 No þon lange wæs feorh æþelinges flæsce bewunden. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 63 Gif..to þe flesce scrud and clað. 12.. Creed in Rel. Ant. I. 282 Hie hleve in..arysnesse of flesse & eche lif. a 1300 Cursor M. 22785 (Gött.) Þat ilke flesh þat we haue nu, þan sal we haue. c 1400 Prymer (1891) 78 In my fleysch y schal se god my saueour. c 1500 Melusine xxxvi. 250 He deffended vygourously his flesshe. 1556 Aurelio & Isab. (1608) E viij, The grete colde penetrethe youre delicat fleshes. 1607 Marston What you will v, A true magnanimous spirit should..with his own flesh dead his flesh. 1634 Habington Castara (Arb.) 133 My frighted flesh trembles to dust. 1724 De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 132 They..were as free of their flesh as we. |
b. in (the) flesh: in a bodily form, in a corporeal nature or state; also, in life, living.
after the flesh: in bodily appearance or likeness.
| 1382 Wyclif 2 Cor. v. 16 If we knowen Crist vp [1388 aftir] the fleisch [Tindale 1526 after the flehsse. Similarly in later versions]. 1382 ― Phil. i. 23 For to be with Crist, it is moche more bettere; forsoth for to dwelle in fleisch, it is nedeful for ȝou. c 1449 Pecock Repr. i. xv. 83 That we schulen rise in fleisch aftir oure deeth. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iii. xlii. 273 To preach Christ come in the flesh. 1727 De Foe Hist. Appar. i. (1840) 14 St. Paul..did speak there of seeing Christ in the flesh. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. iv. vi, The minutes passing on, and no Mrs. W. in the flesh appearing. 1874 Morley Compromise (1886) 162 We all know in the flesh liberal catholics and latitudinarian protestants, who [etc.]. |
c. The body (of Christ) regarded as spiritually ‘eaten’ by believers; also applied mystically to the bread in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. John vi. 55. c 1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 97 Þat husel þe ȝe understonden is his holi fleis and his blod. a 1300 Cursor M. 15234 (Gött.) Takes and ete of þis bredd, for flesse þan es it mine. c 1380 Wyclif Serm. Sel. Wks. II. 110 Ȝif ȝe eeten þe fleish of mannis sone, and drynke his blood. 1558 Bp. White Serm. in Strype Eccl. Mem. III. App. lxxxi. 279 Adore the same flesh in substance. 1651 C. Cartwright Cert. Relig. i. 59 Saint Remigius &c. affirme the flesh of Christ to be in the Sacrament. 1875 Hymms A. & M., ‘Now, my tongue’ iv, True bread He maketh By His Word His Flesh to be. |
† d. As a profane oath,
God's flesh! Hence in 17–18th c. in ejaculations, as
flesh! flesh and fire! Cf. odds-flesh.
Obs.| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. xi. 212 Godis flessh & his fet & hise fyue woundis Arn more in his mynde þan þe memorie of his foundours. 1695 Congreve Love for L. iii. xv, Flesh, you don't think I'm false-hearted, like a Land-Man. 1701 Cibber Love Makes Man ii. i, Flesh and Fire! do but speak to her, Man. 1728 Vanbr. & Cib. Prov. Husb. i. i. 29 Flesh! I thought we should never ha' got hither! |
10. a. The animal or physical nature of man; human nature as subject to corporeal necessities and limitations.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. xxvi. 41 Witudlice se gast in hræd, and þæt flæsc ys untrum. a 1225 Ancr. R. 132 Ine bitternesse of flesche, bereð Godes rode. c 1300 Beket 259 The here he dude next his liche, his flesches maister to beo. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame i. 49 But that our flessh ne hath no myght To understond hyt aryght. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. iv. 59 Hit is bote frelete of flesch. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 8 b, They must despyse..all delectacyons of the flesshe. 1559 Mirr. Mag., Jack Cade iv, Flesh is soft And yeldes it selfe to pleasure that it loueth. 1602 Shakes. Ham. iii. i. 63 The Heart-ake, and the thousand Naturall shockes That Flesh is heyre too. 1634 Habington Castara (Arb.) 129 Flesh is loath By meditation to fore see How [etc.]. 1853 Kingsley Hypatia xxx, But though she had found trouble in the flesh, her spirit knew none. 1883 Froude Short Stud. IV. i. iii. 40 The archbishop retired to his see to afflict his flesh with public austerities. |
b. In expressions relating to the Incarnation.
the days of his flesh: the period of his earthly life.
| c 1000 Ags. Gosp. John i. 14 Þæt word wæs flæsc ȝeworden. c 1200 Ormin 19201, & Godess Word iss makedd flæsh. a 1250 Orison our Lord 6 in O.E. Misc. 139 Þi goddede wes ihud in fleysse. a 1300 Cursor M. 14342 (Cott.), I haf tan flexs emang mine aun. 1382 Wyclif Heb. v. 7 The which in the dayes of his fleisch offringe preieris and bisechingis to God. 1642 Rogers Naaman 2 Our Lord Jesus himselfe all the daies of his abasement and flesh endured them. |
11. The sensual appetites and inclinations as antagonistic to the nobler elements of human nature. In theological language (after
St. Paul's use of σάρξ) applied more widely to the depraved nature of man in its conflict with the promptings of the Spirit.
sins of the flesh:
esp. those of unchastity.
| c 1200 Vices & Virtues (1888) 23 And folȝeð hire flesches wille. a 1300 Cursor M. 10103 (Cott.) Ic am..wit thrin fas bi-thrett, þis werld, my fleche, þe warlau als. 1382 Wyclif Rom. viii. 8 Thei that ben in fleisch, mown not plese to God. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶279 If þat a man wiþstonde..þe firste entisynges of his fleisshe. c 1500 New Not-br. Mayd 237 in Hazl. E.P.P. III. 11 The devyll, his flesshe, The worlde all fresshe, Provoke hym day and nyght. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. v. ix. 391, I know what Flesh will object. a 1729 Clarke Serm. 1 Cor. xiii. 3 Wks. (1738) xlviii. 300 Disapproving the opinions of those whom a man sincerely thinks to be in the wrong, is not a work of the Flesh. 1823 Shelley Hellas 156 By..conquering penance of the mutinous flesh. 1882 Farrar Early Chr. II. 423 Things which tend to the gratification of the flesh. |
III. attrib. and
Comb. 12. General relations:
a. simple
attrib. (sense 1), as
† flesh-budget,
flesh-bunch,
flesh-burden,
flesh-burst,
flesh-case,
flesh-creep,
flesh-disguise,
flesh-flower,
flesh-frame,
flesh-hotpot (nonce formation on fleshpot),
flesh-pimple,
flesh-pistol (
fig. of a person),
flesh-rind,
flesh-rose,
flesh-scape,
flesh-scent,
flesh-stuff; (sense 4), as
† flesh-axe,
† flesh-broth,
flesh-diet,
† flesh-kind,
† flesh-kit,
† flesh-market,
flesh meal,
† flesh-pie,
flesh-provision,
† flesh-stall,
flesh-victual; (sense 5), as
flesh-tint,
flesh tone; (sense 9), as
flesh-kinsman; (sense 10, 11), as
flesh-delight,
flesh-lust.
| 1424 in Kennett Par. Antiq. (1818) II. 255 Et in magna secure vocat. *fleschaxe xv. den. |
| 1676 Wiseman Surgery ii. xii. 204 Her Leg being extreamly emaciated..I advised the bathing it with *Flesh-broth. |
| 1592 Nashe P. Penilesse Wks. (Grosart) II. 72 That surfit-swolne Churles..might bee constrained to carrie their *flesh budgets from place to place on foote. |
| 1841 Browning Pippa Passes Introd. 90 Plump as the *flesh-bunch on some Turk bird's poll. |
| 1605 Sylvester tr. Nove's Profit Imprisonm. 627 Here below this fraile *flesh-burden tyes him. |
| 1876 G. M. Hopkins Wr. Deutschland (1918) 60 How a lush-kept plush-capped sloe Will, mouthed to *flesh-burst, Gush! |
| 1922 Joyce Ulysses 189 For years in this *fleshcase a shesoul dwelt. |
| 1904 Daily Chron. 17 Dec. 3/3 The fight between Tyler and the huge ape is worth the money, and Mr. Fritz Bergen's illustrations of it will throw in several extra *flesh-creeps. |
| 1605 Sylvester tr. Nove's Profit Imprisonm. 218 Mid the *flesh-delights to rust in idle ease. |
| 1731 Arbuthnot Aliments i. vi. vi. §5 Acidity in the Infant may be cur'd by a *Flesh-Diet in the Nurse. |
| 1910 J. Masefield Ballads & Poems 64 Arrayed in some new *flesh-disguise. |
| 1862 G. M. Hopkins Vision of Mermaids (1929) Diadem'd Like an Assyrian prince, with buds unsheath'd From *flesh-flowers of the rock. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 560 Her sleeve, falling from gracing arms, reveals a white fleshflower of vaccination. |
| 1839 Bailey Festus xix. (1848) 210 Some, that Christ Received His *flesh-frame of the elements. |
| 1860 Farrar Orig. Lang. vi. 130 Language is the *flesh-garment of thought. |
| 1922 Joyce Ulysses 502 *Fleshhotpots of Egypt to hanker after. |
| 1712 W. Rogers Voy. 357 A good Quantity of Bread and Sweetmeats..but little of *Flesh-kind. |
| c 1300 Cursor M. 20068 (Edin.) Iohan þat was his *fles kinseman. |
| 1575 Richmond. Wills (Surtees) 255, I *fleshe kytt, ij{supd}. |
| a 1300 Cursor M. 17227 (Gött.) Mi *fless lust to fulfill. |
| 1535 Coverdale 1 Cor. x. 25 What soeuer is solde in the *fleshmarket that eate. 1766 Wesley Jrnl. 13 June, I began preaching in the flesh⁓market. |
| 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. ii. 313 Instead of one reasonable *flesh-meal, they were now scarcely satisfied with three. |
| 1616–61 B. Holyday Persius 336 I'm pleas'd now Upon the people to bestow a doal Of oile and *flesh-pies. |
| 1587 L. Mascall Govt. Cattell i. (1653) 13 Barbes, which..will grow and hang like *flesh-pimples under his tongue. |
| 1608 Machin Dumb Knight iii. in Hazl. Dodsley X. 164 My noble firelock of a *flesh pistol. |
| 1795 Burke On Scarcity Wks. VII. 411 Another cause..tended to produce a scarcity in *flesh provision. |
| 1593 Nashe Christ's T. Wks. (Grosart) IV. 173 It had stript his soule foorth of his *fleshe rinde. |
| 1955 C. Tomlinson Necklace 21 It moves with equal certainty Through a register of palm-greens and *flesh-rose. |
| 1949 S. Spender Edge of Being 21 A *fleshscape woven of fiery fleece. |
| 1923 D. H. Lawrence Birds, Beasts & Flowers 41 The *flesh-scent of this wicked tree. |
| 14.. Medulla in Cath. Angl. 135 note, Laniatorium, a *fflessh stal. |
| 1855 Browning By the Fireside xxiv, Your soul..Piercing its fine *flesh-stuff. 1935 G. Barker Janus 42 His face..no more than a mounding of flesh-stuff. |
| 1838 Dickens Nich. Nick. x, A bright salmon *flesh-tint. 1967 E. Short Embroidery & Fabric Collage iv. 97 In figure work they depicted form with line rather than shading, and avoided naturalistic flesh tints. |
| 1931 H. Read Meaning of Art ii. 128 Flowers and the flower-like *flesh-tones of a woman's or a child's body. |
| 1562–3 Act 5 Eliz. c. 5 §11 In sparing and encrease of *Fleshe Victuall of this Realme. |
b. objective, as
flesh-creeper,
flesh-eater,
flesh-former,
flesh-maker,
flesh-pleaser,
† flesh-tawer,
† flesh-vourer ns.;
flesh-pleasing vbl. n.;
flesh-amazing,
flesh-consuming,
flesh-creeping,
flesh-devouring,
flesh-eating,
flesh-enraging,
flesh-mangling,
flesh-pleasing,
† flesh-tawing,
flesh-transpiercing ppl. adjs.| 1679 Keach Glorious Lover ii. v. 285 Hark! dost not hear that *flesh-amazing cry? |
| 1603 J. Davies Microcosmos (Grosart) 63/1 Streight away they weare..With *flesh-consuming fleshly fraile delight. |
| 1887 H. Baumann Londinismen 56/1 *Flesh-creeper, scherzhaft: Schauerroman Gruselgeschichte. 1932 T. S. Eliot Sel. Essays 321 He is a little of the religious spell⁓binder..the flesh-creeper, the sorcerer of emotional orgy. 1959 Times 14 Feb. 9/7 The moving Funérailles which he played simply as a flesh-creeper. |
| 1896 Westm. Gaz. 17 Mar. 3/1 The *flesh-creeping announcement that our old friend Osman Digna, who has died so often, is advancing with a considerable force in the direction of Kassala. 1936 Times Lit. Suppl. 7 Mar. 195/3 Mr. Burke gets the right flesh-creeping quality into some of the scenes. |
| 1609 J. Davies Holy Roode (Grosart) 22/1 The Monster *Flesh-deuouring Death. 1936 R. Campbell Mithraic Emblems 28 The flesh-devouring bird of time. |
| 1616 J. Lane Contn. Sqr.'s T. x. 433 Not Diomedes horse (*fleshe eatr of men) had e'ar th'obedience this atchiv'd o're them. 1862 H. Spencer First Princ. ii. xiv. §110 (1875) 315 Among animals the flesh-eaters cannot exist without the plant-eaters. |
| 1592 Nashe P. Penilesse Wks. (Grosart) II. 73 We are such *flesh-eating Saracens. 1953 J. S. Huxley Evol. in Action iii. 72 One original tiny flesh-eating creature. |
| a 1618 J. Davies Wittes pilgrimage (Grosart) 39/2 *Flesh-enraging Lust. |
| 1873 E. Smith Foods 6 The division of foods into the two great classes of *flesh⁓formers and heat-generators. |
| 1550 Bale Eng. Votaries ii. E ij b, Callynge bothe hym & his masmongers pulpifices, that is to saye, *fleshe-makers. |
| 1813 Shelley Q. Mab viii. 179 The *flesh-mangling scourge. |
| 1586 Whetstone Eng. Mirror 63 One of these *fleshpleasers was the heretique Corinthius. |
| 1647 Trapp Comm. Epist. 176 His watchfull soul, displeased deeply with that *flesh-pleasing force. |
| 1677 A. Horneck Gt. Law Consid. iv. (1704) 128 He..is enticed to idleness, to *flesh-pleasing. c 1050 Suppl. ælfric's Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 189 Lanio, uel lanista, uel carnifex..flæctawere [sic MS.]. |
| 1609 J. Davies Holy Roode (Grosart) 11/1 On his virgin skin..*Flesh-tawing Whips engrosse the deeds of Hate! |
| Ibid. 13/1 *Flesh-transpiercing Thornes. |
| 1533 Tindale Supper of Lord C v, Thys carnall *fleshe vowerer and fleshly Jewe. |
c. instrumental, etc., as
flesh-bound,
flesh-clogged,
flesh-clouded,
flesh-freed,
flesh-gorged,
flesh-manured,
flesh-petalled,
flesh-smelling,
flesh-untrammelled,
flesh-winged.
| 1877 G. M. Hopkins Poems (1918) 31 Man's spirit will be *flesh-bound when found at best, But uncumbered. 1909 W. James Pluralistic Universe vi. 252 Turn your face toward sensation, that flesh-bound thing which rationalism has always loaded with abuse. |
| 1847 Craig, *Flesh-clogged. 1869 W. P. Mackay Grace & Truth 215 This will ever be..the longing of my flesh-clogged soul. |
| 1647 H. More Cupids Conflict lx, Earthly minds..Discern not this *flesh-clouded Deity. |
| c 1599 Sylvester Epit. Death B. Nicolson Wks. (Grosart) II. 339/1 Friends..Whose *flesh-freed Souls are henceforth free from sinning. 1878 Browning La Saisiaz 437 A touch..lifts his spirit where, flesh-freed, Knowledge shall be rightly named so. |
| 1804 J. Grahame Sabbath (1808) 45 The croak of *flesh⁓gorged ravens. |
| 1593 Nashe Christ's T. Wks. (Grosart) IV. 94 A newe storie of *flesh-manured earth haue they cast vpon it. |
| 1949 S. Spender Edge of Being 36 This *flesh-petalled tree. |
| 1627 May Lucan vi. (1635) K vij b, Their ashy garments, and *flesh-smelling coales. |
| 1917 J. Masefield Lollingdon Downs 57 Bodiless joy of *flesh-untrammelled mind. |
| 1947 S. Spender Poems of Dedication 53 Legendary heroes..On *flesh-winged ships fluttered from their island. |
d. similative, as
flesh-fragrant,
flesh-like,
flesh-rosy adjs.;
flesh-pink,
flesh-red adj. and quasi-n. Also
flesh-coloured a.
| 1923 D. H. Lawrence Birds, Beasts & Flowers 15 Gods..half-sinisterly *flesh-fragrant As if with sweat. |
| 1552 Huloet, *Fleshlike..carnarius. 1653 Walton Angler 166 Carps have..a piece of flesh-like-fish in their mouth like a tongue. |
| 1882 Garden 17 June 432/1 In colour it is a beautiful *flesh-pink. |
| 1819 J. G. Children Chem. Anal. 380 A faint *flesh red colour. 1843 Portlock Geol. 219 Crystals..of a yellowish-white or light flesh-red. |
| 1957 L. Durrell Bitter Lemons 102 There was a fine fire of *flesh-rosy carob wood. |
13. Special comb.:
flesh-bag (
slang), a shirt;
† flesh-baste v. (see
quot. 1611); also (after
baste v.
3) to beat about the body;
flesh-beam = fleshing-beam;
flesh-bird, one that lives upon flesh; a carnivorous bird;
† flesh-board, ?
= fleshing-board;
† flesh-brand, a mark burnt into the flesh; hence
† flesh-branded pa. pple.;
† flesh-bred a., thoroughly trained (in crime);
† flesh-broker,
slang (see
quots.); so
† flesh-brokery;
flesh-brush, a brush used for rubbing the surface of the body, in order to excite the circulation;
† flesh-company, sexual intercourse;
† flesh-crook, ? a kind of fork with hooked prongs;
cf. flesh-hook;
flesh-crow, a dialect name for the carrion crow (
Corvus corone);
† flesh-day, a day on which flesh may be eaten;
† flesh-dresser, ? applied to the beadle who flogged prostitutes;
flesh-fallen a., emaciated;
† flesh-father, a father ‘after the flesh’, an earthly father;
flesh-flea, the chigoe,
Sarcopsylla penetrans (
Cent. Dict.);
† flesh-fonding, the act of gratifying fleshly appetites or desires;
flesh-fork, a fork for removing meat from the pot;
flesh-germ, a synonym of
Sarcophyte (
Syd. Soc. Lex. 1884);
flesh-glove, a glove used to stimulate the circulation by rubbing the flesh;
† flesh-glue = sarcocolla;
† flesh-hold, flesh enough to be held with the teeth;
flesh-juice, ‘the reddish, acid liquid which is contained in dead muscle’ (
Syd. Soc. Lex. 1884);
flesh-knife = fleshing-knife;
† flesh-leech, a physician for the body;
† flesh-marked pa. pple., having a mark on the body (
cf. flesh-branded);
flesh-quake [after the analogy of
earthquake], a trembling of the body;
flesh side, the side of a skin that was nearest the flesh (see 6); ‘the rough side of a leather belt’ (Lockwood);
† flesh-spades (
humorous), the fingernails;
flesh-split, that part of a split hide or skin which is nearest the flesh;
† flesh-string, a muscle;
† flesh-tailor,
humorously, one who sews up wounds; a surgeon;
flesh-taster, an officer appointed to test the wholesomeness of meat;
† fleshtimber, corporeal matter;
† flesh-time, a time when flesh may be eaten;
flesh-traffic, ‘the slave trade’ (
Adm. Smyth);
flesh-wound, a wound that does not extend beyond the flesh.
| 1812 J. H. Vaux Flash Dict., *Flesh-bag, a shirt. 1820 London Mag. I. 29 They are often without a flesh-bag to their backs. |
| 1611 Cotgr., Glacer..to *flesh-bast, or stitch downe the lyning of a garment, thereby to keepe it from sagging. 1639 Shirley Maid's Rev. iv. ii, We were going to flesh-baste one another. |
| 1796 Coleridge To Yng. Man of Fortune Poems (1863) 263 O'er his uncoffined limbs The flocking *flesh-birds screamed. |
| 1411 Nottingham Rec. II. 86, j. *fleschbord. |
| 1646 Gaule Cases Consc. 105 Whether all Witches have Corporall Markes, or diabolicall *Flesh-brands. |
| 1675 Lond. Gaz. No. 999/4 A Chesnut Sorrel Gelding..with I.S. *flesh branded on the Shoulder. |
| 1513 More in Grafton Chron. (1568) II. 804 A felow *flesh bred in murther before time. |
| a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, *Flesh-broker, a Match-maker; also a Bawd. Ibid., Spiritual-flesh-broker, a Parson. |
| a 1643 W. Cartwright Ordinary v. iv. (1651) 86 She..that is So expert grown in this *flesh Brokery. |
| 1704 F. Fuller Med. Gymn. (1718) 197 Chafing of the Skin, or..the Use of the *Flesh-Brush. 1884 Cassell's Family Mag. Feb. 143/2 Friction with rough towels and flesh-brush. |
| 1522 World & Child in Hazl. Dodsley I. 273 The Son of God sickerly Took flesh and blood of the Virgin Mary, Without touching of man's *flesh-company. |
| 1465 Reg. Gild Corp. Chr. York (1872) 295 Et j fustinula vocata *fleschcroke. 1576 E. Johnson in Durham Depos. (Surtees) 312 If ther were a hundrethe devils of hell..with fleshe croks in their hands..he wold run throughe them all to hir. |
| 1885 Swainson Prov. Names Brit. Birds 82 Carrion Crow (Corvus corone), so called from the bird's habit of feeding on the flesh of dead animals; whence also..*Flesh crow. |
| c 1440 Anc. Cookery in Househ. Ord. (1790) 429 Tempur hom, on fyssheday wyth wyn, and on *flesheday with broth of flesh. 1584–5 Act 27 Eliz. c. 11 §4 To utter and sell all maner of Sea Fish upon any Flesh Daye in the Weeke. 1674 J. Josselyn Voy. New Eng. 13 Three flesh dayes in the week. |
| 1620 Melton Astrolog. 32 Tom Todd and his fellow *flesh-dressers. |
| 1876 Tennyson Harold i. i, Am I not Work-wan, *flesh-fallen? 1876 Whitby Gloss., Flesh-fallen, bodily pined. |
| 13.. Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. xxxii. 240 Ȝe hedde boþe on *flesch-fadur. |
| 1558 N. Grimalde Cicero's Offices Pref. to Rdr., In ryotting and banketing or in outragious *flesh⁓fondinges. |
| 1662 South Serm. (1823) I. 109 To scour the *flesh-forks. 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropsh. Word-bk., Flesh⁓fork, a long, two-pronged iron fork for getting up meat out of a pot or caldron. |
| 1818 Sporting Mag. II. 225 Rubbing..my body..with the mohair *flesh-glove. |
| 1659 Rowbotham Gate Lang. Unl. xi. §124 Frankincense, mastick, rosin, *flesh-glue are the juices and gums of certain trees. |
| 1621 Sanderson 12 Serm. (1637) 369 There was *flesh-hould enough for the riming Satyrists..whereon to fasten the sorest and the strongest teeth they had. |
| 1881 Leicestersh. Gloss., *Flesh-knife, the knife used by tanners to scrape or pare the flesh from the hide on the ‘fleshing-beam’. |
| c 1340 Cursor M. 27382 (Fairf.) Riȝt as *flesshe leche salle dele wiþ diuerse saluis to saris hele. |
| 1682 Lond. Gaz. No. 1723/4 A large bay Nag.. *Flesh-markt on the off Shoulder. |
| 1631 B. Jonson New Inne To himselfe 6 They may, blood-shaken then, Feel such a *flesh-quake to possesse their powers, As they shall cry like ours. 1820 L. Hunt Indicator No. 26 (1822) I. 201 The fever of the soul..renders us liable to our most terrible ‘flesh-quakes’. |
| 1630 Charter in Maitland Hist. Edin. iv. (1753) 298 That none of the Trade presume to brock sheep-skins on the Rim or *Flesh-side. 1792 J. Belknap Hist. New-Hampshire III. 159 Skins..with the flesh sides together. |
| 1749 Fielding Tom Jones xi. viii, The injury, done to the beauty of her husband by the *flesh-spades of Mrs. Honour. |
| 1897 C. T. Davis Manuf. Leather (ed. 2) 429 *Flesh splits are splits which are finished on the flesh side. The usual weight of the flesh splits is from 1½ to 3½ pounds. 1904 Goodchild & Tweney Technol. & Sci. Dict. 37/2 s.v. Bag hides, The lower or Flesh Split is used for insoles and stiffeners in boots. |
| 1587 Golding De Mornay xiv. 225 Wee see in mans body..a greate nomber of sinewes, *Fleshstrings, and knitters. |
| 1633 Ford 'Tis Pity iii. vii, Here's a stitch fallen in my guts; oh for a *flesh-tailor quickly. |
| 1766 Entick London IV. 403 Four aleconners, and four *flesh-tasters. 1860 W. White All round Wrekin xx. (ed. 2) 195 The ‘hardware village’, as folk called it [Birmingham], with..an ale-taster and a flesh-taster among its functionaries. |
| a 1225 Leg. Kath. 1188 Nes nawt iteiet to þe treo þer he deide upon, to drahen, buten *fleschtimber. |
| c 1450 Holland Howlat 696 In *flesche tyme, quhen the fische war away flemyt. 1611 Cotgr., Charnaut, flesh-time. |
| a 1674 Clarendon Hist. Reb. xiv. (1704) III. 397 Poor Wogan..receiv'd upon a Party an ordinary *flesh wound. 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. I. xxix. 398, I hit..one of our dogs..luckily a flesh⁓wound only. |
▪ II. flesh, v. (
flɛʃ)
[f. prec. n.] 1. trans. To reward (a hawk or hound) with a portion of the flesh of the game killed, in order to excite his eagerness in the chase. Hence in wider sense, to render (an animal) eager for prey by the taste of blood.
| 1530 Palsgr. 551/2 Flesshe, as we do an hounde, whan we gyve him any parte of a wylde beest to encourage hym to ronne wel. 1576 Turberv. Venerie 131 Those rewardes..will much better flesh and encourage the houndes. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. xxviii. xiii. 346 Ravening foules made more cruell and eagre with the tast of bloud that had so fleshed them. 1633 T. Adams Exp. 2 Peter ii. 4 An old bitten cur, that being fleshed to the game, will not be staved off. a 1743 Savage Valentine's Day 7 No crocodile there flesh'd with prey appears. 1751 Smollett Per. Pic. (1779) I. viii. 70 Before they had fleshed the hounds, he recollected himself. |
2. transf. and
fig. a. To initiate in or inure to bloodshed or warfare.
| 1530 Palsg. 416/2 He his fleshed and accustomed to kyll men lyke shepe. a 1611 Forman Diary 8 Simon would not shrink for a bluddi nose with any boye, for he was then thorowly fleshed. 1646 J. Temple Irish Rebell. 86 Flesht and blooded in the slaughter of many thousands of the English nation. 1704 J. Blair in W. S. Perry Hist. Coll. Amer. Coll. Ch. I. 110 Soldiers well fleshed in blood..can't endure to be reduced to private life again. 1826 E. Irving Babylon I. ii. 143 France..had been well fleshed in the work of blood by maiming and wounding herself. 1863 Kinglake Crimea (1877) II. iv. 41 He fleshed his troops by indulging them with enterprises against the enemy's posts. |
† b. Hence, To initiate
in, inure or habituate
to any practice; to render inveterate, harden (in wrong doing). Also, to render (errors or vices) inveterate.
| 1581 Savile Tacitus' Hist. iii. xv. (1591) 123 To the ende that the souldiers..might be enured and fleshed in ciuill spoile. 1597–8 Bp. Hall Sat. iv. vi. 52 When he is once fleshed to the Presse..He sends forth thraues of Ballads to the sale. 1664 H. More Myst. Iniq. xii. 153 Were not this a mere method of fleshing men in leudness and wickedness. 1665 Glanvill Scepsis Sci. x. 53 Yet others [Errors] are so flesht in us, that they maintain their interest upon the deceptibility of our decayed Nature. 1704 Swift T. Tub Wks. 1760 I. 53 Fleshed at these smaller sports, like young wolves, they grew up in time to be nimble. |
c. To inflame the ardour, rage, or cupidity of (a person) by a foretaste of success or gratification (
cf. flush); to incite, animate. ?
Obs.| 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (Camden) 28 Being flesshid and animatid as he was bi his tutors preamble. ? c 1600 Distracted Emp. v. i. in Bullen O. Pl. III. 242 There is no devyll in me..That could have flesht me to thy violent deathe. 1612–5 Bp. Hall Contempl., O.T. viii. iv, The Israelites were so fleshed with their former victorie, that now they think no walls..can stand before them. 1660 T. M. Hist. Independ. iv. 56 The newes of this victory so fleshed our bloodhounds that they began to boast above measure. 1671 Shadwell Humourist iv, This..Bully..was flesh'd, and would needs show his valour upon my shoulders. 1700 Dryden Fables, Ajax & Ulysses 137 Him, flesh'd with slaughter, and with conquest crown'd. |
3. a. To plunge (a weapon, etc.) into the flesh. Also (originally with allusion to 1 or 2 a),
to flesh one's (maiden, virgin) sword: to use it for the first time upon flesh, to fight one's first battle.
| 1590 Marlowe 2nd Pt. Tamburl. iv. i, He..Beats down our foes, to flesh our taintless swords. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iv. v. 133 The wilde Dogge Shall flesh his tooth in euery Innocent. 1622 Dekker Virg. Martir i. Wks. 1873 IV. 8 Antonius, so well hath flesh'd his maiden sword. 1725 Pope Odyss. xx. 461 Impatient strait to flesh his virgin-sword. 1866 Cornh. Mag. May 630 These rude retainers..sometimes finish by fleshing their knives to the haft in each other. 1867 F. Francis Angling iv. (1880) 113 The barbs of the hooks not being fleshed in them. |
b. transf. and
fig.| a 1592 Greene Selimus Wks. 1881–3 XIV. 231 To see the brethren disinherited, To flesh their anger one vpon another. 1695 Blackmore Pr. Arth. iv. 575 [He] flesht his Courage first in Saxon Blood. 1814 Byron Corsair ii. i. 17 All..seek To flesh their glowing valour on the Greek. 1852 Dickens Bleak Ho. i, Clerks have been in the habit of fleshing their wit upon it. 1870 Lowell Among my Bks. Ser. i. (1873) 372 The poor youth, just fleshing his maiden pen in criticism. |
c. To gratify (lust or destructive rage).
| 1601 Shakes. All's Well iv. iii. 19 This night he fleshes his will in the spoyle of her honour. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. lii, He intended to..break into Butler's peaceful habitation, and flesh at once his appetite for plunder and revenge. |
4. a. To clothe (a skeleton) with flesh; to embody in flesh. Also with
out,
over. Chiefly
fig.| a 1661 Fuller Worthies i. (1662) 2 This bare Sceleton of Time, Place, and Person must be fleshed with some pleasant passages. 1862 N. Brit. Rev. May, 519 The strong imagination has difficulty enough to get fleshed..so as to dwell in common human forms. 1879 Blackw. Mag. Aug. 212 The making of man—a skeleton gradually fleshed over. 1886 G. Allen Maimie's Sake xi, A dainty bit of..word-painting, fleshed out and rendered thinkable. |
b. To make fleshy; to fatten.
| a 1682 Sir T. Browne Tracts 115 To restore and well Flesh them, they commonly gave them Hogs Flesh. 1682 2nd Plea for Nonconformists 16 The Rooks, the Informers,..hope to flesh themselves by picking the bones of the Nonconformists. 1909 H. G. Wells Tono-Bungay ii. i. 103 We've fleshed ourselves a bit, eh? a 1909 Century Mag. (Webster), A rangy bay that ought to be fleshed for six months. |
| fig. a 1627 Middleton Spanish Gipsy iv, Flesh me with gold, fat me with silver. |
5. Leather-manuf. To remove the adhering flesh from (a skin or hide).
| 1777 [see fleshing 2]. 1880 Times 27 Sept. 12/6 Unhairing, fleshing, and scudding all kinds of skins. 1885 A. Watt Leather Manuf. x. 120 After the hair is removed the hides are fleshed. |
6. To paint flesh-colour.
| 1861 Mayhew Lond. Labour III. 209/1 For colouring we [photographers] charge 3d more..We flesh the face..and blue the coat and colour the tablecloth. |